2/24/2023: Now Hiring Non-Stupid People
PLUS: More Charges for SBF; Two Sentences & a Not Guilty Plea; and Khloe Gets Sued
Today is Friday, February 24, 2023.
It is the 55th day of the year.
310 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
An expanded indictment for SAMUEL BANKMAN-FRIED and the end of an era for an historic fighter jet. More in HIT LIST.
RON DESANTIS lines up big money ahead of his book drop next Tuesday, and a national book tour that totally isn’t a campaign. More in THE SWAMP.
AARON RODGERS leaves his pit of despair and KATY PERRY teams up with Peeps Easter Candy. More in SHOWBIZ.
REBA MCENTIRE is joining “The Voice” and a new “It” prequel series lands at HBO Max. More in CASTING CALL.
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HIT LIST
Disgraced FTX founder SAM BANKMAN-FRIED got hit with a raft of 12 more indictments on Thursday including charges of bank fraud, money laundering, and campaign finance law violations.
One charge alleges that SBF directly ordered changes to FTX’s trading software to allow Alameda Research to funnel customer money into its own accounts; SBF has denied any knowledge of this practice, which is central to the company’s collapse. He then borrowed from Alameda, interest-free, more than ONE BILLION DOLLARS to make his own investments, according to the complaint.
IT GETS WORSE: SBF ordered at least two other unnamed FTX executives to donate some of these misappropriated customer funds to political campaigns and causes. In particular, SBF leaned on these straw donors to curry favor with Republican candidates because he did not want to be associated with giving any conservatives money.
THEN: In early November, as the solvency crisis went public and FTX shut down customer withdrawals, it allowed only customers in the Bahamas to take money out – ostensibly so that FTX employees could get their money back.
WORTH NOTING: These charges, brought by a grand jury, compose a “Superseding Indictment,” meaning these charges replace and add to the existing charges SBF was already facing.
ALSO WORTH NOTING: Several other former FTX executives have reportedly cooperated in recent months since the scandal first surfaced. The information presented in the indictment could very well be a result of their statements and testimony. [via USA v. SAMUEL BANKMAN-FRIED]
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Amazon employees aren’t ready to go back to the office, even after CEO Andy Jassy ordered a three-day-a-week in-office policy starting in May.
Employees say they were blindsided by the demand, even though it gives them more than ten weeks to prepare – and will only have to be there in person part-time.
In a blog post on Amazon’s corporate website, Jassy notes, “It’s easier to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture when we’re in the office together most of the time and surrounded by our colleagues.” [via CNBC]
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Boeing is ending production of the F/A-18 Super Hornet in 2025.
Since its first shipment in 1983 by McDonnell Douglas, which later merged with Boeing in 1997, more than 2,000 of the fighter jet were built and delivered.
Boeing isn’t slowing down though: it’s building three new facilities in St. Louis for future defense aircraft design and production.
BUT WAIT: Boeing may continue production until 2027 if India’s military makes an order. [via AP]
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The avian bird flu that has rocked the country for over a year has led to the death of 58 million chickens and other farm-raised birds since last February, the Wall Street Journal reports. This makes it the most deadly bird flu outbreak ever. Of those, 43 million were egg-laying hens, causing a 29% decrease in egg inventories year over year by the end of December.
IT GETS WORSE: Since bird flu is so contagious, farmers are reluctant to restock only to have to kill off their flocks. [via WSJ]
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The demand for workers is so high, one Columbus, Ohio-area pizzeria has set the bar pretty low: just don’t be stupid.
“Now Hiring Non-Stupid People,” a sign in front of Santino’s Pizzeria reads. The manager says she put up the sign after they would lose employees who would disappear after going through training.
In another example of recent stupidity, the manager says, “I had a high school student who thought it was okay to bring a nerf gun in with another employee here.” [via WBNS]
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CHARTS
What’s Streaming?
New to Amazon Prime
Die Hart (No Rotten Tomatoes Score)
New to Hulu
211 (Score: 4%)
A Million Little Pieces (Score: 27%)
Prisoners of the Sun (No Score)
Spin Me Round (Score: 47%)
The Reef: Stalked (Score: 67%)
New to Netflix
We Have a Ghost (No Score)
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DEATHS
Former Wisconsin governor TONY EARL has died.
He passed away Thursday after suffering a stroke earlier in the week, his daughter told The Associated Press.
Earl, described as a “champion of gay rights” and “staunch environmentalist,” only served one term as governor, from 1983 to 1987. He was succeeded by TOMMY THOMPSON.
He was 86.
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RELATIONSHIPS
Director TIM BURTON, 64, and model MONICA BELLUCCI, 58, seemingly confirmed they are an item, with a smooch.
The kiss was caught by paparazzi as the two took a Valentine’s Day stroll in Santa Monica.
Rumors of their relationship have been swirling since last year.
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THE SWAMP
America’s Governor RON DESANTIS has lined up major contributions this month, courting nearly $4 million in donations from just three contributors since the start of February. The money went into his statewide “Friends of Ron DeSantis” organization.
His memoir, “The Courage to Be Free,” hits shelves on Tuesday – and of course a national book tour is in the works.
WORTH NOTING: Most people who run for president drop a book before or during their campaigns.
BY THE WAY: Insiders say a formal announcement won’t come until after Florida’s legislature wraps up its work for the season, confirming again an early summer launch. [via CNN]
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TO THE NEVADA SWAMP WE GO: An Assemblywoman in Nevada’s state legislature has introduced a bill that would ban restaurants from providing water to customers for free unless they ask for it.
The language of AB186 is simple: ““A food establishment may not provide drinking water to a customer unless the customer requests drinking water.”
WORTH NOTING: There wouldn’t be any penalties for failure to comply, either.
ALSO WORTH NOTING: The legislator, Heidi Kasama, is a Republican, making this an odd choice for a member of the party of small, limited government.
No word on what inspired the legislator to introduce this unnecessary bill. [via Fox 5 Vegas]
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW added 108 points (0.33%) to close at 33,153 on Thursday. The S&P added 21 points (0.53%) to close at 4,012 while the NASDAQ added 83 points (0.72%) to close at 11,590.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $75; BRENT CRUDE at $82.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.39 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN was down more than 1% Thursday, trading under $24,000.
🛩 There were more than 4,190 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 1,080 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $126 million jackpot or a $63.9 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $119 million jackpot or a $61 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
These albums drop today:
Adam Lambert, “High Drama”
Algiers, “SHOOK”
Chasms, “Glimpse of Heaven”
David Brewis, “The Soft Struggles”
Death Valley Girls, “Island In the Sky”
Dierks Bentley, “Gravel & Gold”
Gabrielle Shonk, “Across the Room”
Godsmack, “Lighting Up The Sky”
Gorillaz, “Cracker Island”
Jenny O., “Spectra”
John Bence, “Archangels”
Miss Grit, “Follow The Cyborg”
Motorhead, “Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic”
Philip Selway, “Strange Dance”
Rick Wakeman, “A Gallery Of The Imagination”
Shame, “Food for Worms”
Steel Panther, “On The Prowl”
Tiesto, “Drive”
US Girls, “Bless This Mess”
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RIHANNA will perform her hit song “Lift Me Up” at the 95th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, March 12.
The Oscar-nominated track is featured in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
It is Rihanna’s first Oscar nomination. [via Deadline]
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AARON RODGERS has completed his darkness retreat and now the world waits as he decides his football future.
The 39-year-old spent four days disconnecting from the world at Sky Cave Retreats in Oregon, where he stayed in a 300-square-foot room that contained only a queen-sized bed, bathroom and meditation mat. There was also no natural lighting, according to the facility’s owner Scott Berman.
Rodgers revealed he was going off the grid to “clear his head” before making a decision about his career. [via TMZ]
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BEN STILLER still isn’t sorry about his 2008 flick “Tropic Thunder.”
Responding to a tweet this week asking him to stop apologizing for making the movie, Stiller commented, “I make no apologies for Tropic Thunder. It’s always been a controversial movie since…we opened.”
The film, which has been hit hard by cancel culture, follows a group of actors who get lost in a jungle while shooting a war film and are left to fend for themselves with nothing but their mediocre acting skills.
Stiller previously defended the film saying, the whole premise is making fun of actors who will do anything and take on any role to win awards. [via NY Post]
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During her recent appearance on “The Howard Stern Show,” PINK revealed that her childhood idol, MADONNA, doesn’t like her.
After some prompting from Stern, Pink explained that both women appeared on “Live With Regis and Kelly” in 2003, and before the show Madge invited her to her dressing room so they could meet. Then, when it was Pink’s turn on stage, Philbin asked her how it felt to meet her idol, to which she jokingly replied, “I thought she wanted to meet me.”
Madonna took the joke personally and, according to Pink, the rest is history. [via Page Six]
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SZA is planning to release a deluxe edition of her second album “SOS” featuring 10 additional tracks. The original album already has 23 songs.
She did not share any other information, which may make some fans hold their excitement as it took her five years to release a deluxe version of her debut album “Ctrl.”
“SOS” was released last December. [via Variety]
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KATY PERRY has collaborated with the iconic Easter candy Peeps on some new shoes for spring.
According to the Daily Mail, the collection features the “bright colors” Peeps are known for combined with “playful designs.”
There are two styles available, a signature KPC Geli sandal in bright yellow, bright blue and bright pink and a multicolored pool slide decorated in multi-colored Peeps.
The shoes -- available now -- retail for $59. [via Daily Mail]
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A sequel to “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” will be here in time for the holidays.
Based on a newly discovered manuscript by DR SEUSS, “How the Grinch Lost Christmas!” picks up one year after the original, according to Dr. Seuss Enterprises.
The original book has sold nearly 10 million copies across North America, and has been translated into several languages. There are also a handful of film-adaptations.
“How the Grinch Lost Christmas!” is due out September 5. [via AP News]
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CASTING CALL
REBA MCENTIRE will appear on the upcoming season of “The Voice” as a mega mentor.
She will work alongside coaches CHANCE THE RAPPER, KELLY CLARKSON, NIALL HORAN and BLAKE SHELTON. The new season is the first for Chance the Rapper and Horan, and also the last for Shelton.
Season 23 kicks off March 6. [via Variety]
WORTH NOTING: This isn’t McEntire’s first time on the show; she served as a Battle Advisor to Team Blake during the first season back in 2011.
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An “It” prequel series is in the works at HBO Max.
According to Variety, the show, tentatively titled “Welcome to Derry,” will take pieces from STEPHEN KING’s novel and features films “It” and “It Chapter Two.”
Exact plot details are being kept under wraps. [via Variety]
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COURT CASES
ALEC BALDWIN entered a not guilty plea on Thursday -- one day before he was supposed to make his first court appearance.
In response, the court ordered that he not drink alcohol, possess a gun or speak to potential witnesses, unless it is in regards to filming “Rust.”
He will not need to appear today. [via TMZ]
WORTH REMEMBERING: The gun enhancement charge was dropped last week, meaning a five-year prison sentence is also off the table. He is still facing one count of involuntary manslaughter, which has a max sentence of 18 months.
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HARVEY WEINSTEIN was sentenced to 16 years in prison by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench yesterday.
The sentence comes two months after he was found guilty of rape.
He is already serving a 23-year sentence for a 2020 rape conviction in New York, though there is an appeal in the works on that case. [via TMZ]
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R. KELLY was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a federal judge in Chicago on Thursday after being found guilty of three counts of producing child porn and three counts of enticing a minor into criminal sexual activity.
HERE’S THE KICKER: Kelly is already serving a 30-year sentence for racketeering and sex trafficking, which was handed down last year in Brooklyn. The federal judge in Chicago said he could serve 19 of the 20 years concurrently with the first sentence and after he completes that, he can serve the final year of his Chicago conviction.
Kelly’s lawyer says she plans to appeal the sentence. [via Page Six]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KHLOE KARDASHIAN is being sued by a former household assistant over alleged unpaid wages.
Matthew Manhard, who started working for Khloe in 2019, claims he was fired in November 2022 after taking a leave of absence following a leg injury,according to the lawsuit.
He is seeking monetary compensation.
Khloe’s reps told Page Six that Manhard’s absence left a void that they needed to fill. [via Page Six]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace is calling out PRINCE HARRY over claims he made in “Space” about his Taliban kill count.
In an interview with LBC, Wallace was asked about Harry’s memoir, in which he wrote that he killed 25 troops whom he “didn’t think of…as people.”
“I frankly think boasting about tallies or talking about tallies…It distorts the fact that the army is a team game,” Wallace explained. “It’s a team. It’s not about who can shoot the most.”
Wallace’s predecessor, Lord Hutton, previously commented on Harry’s claim, calling it “wrong on every level.” [via NY Post]
WORTH ASKING: What does MEGHAN MARLE think about him boasting about killing?
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LIST OF THE WEEK
Ahead of the Oscars in a few weeks, Variety recaps the most-pirated movies last year – meaning people streamed or downloaded them without paying for the flicks. [via Variety]
10 (least-pirated among the Top 10): Encanto
9. Jurassic World Dominion
8. Top Gun: Maverick
7: Eternals
6: Uncharted
5: Black Adam
4: Thor: Love and Thunder
3: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
2: The Batman
1 (most-pirated): Spider-Man: No Way Home
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Tartar Sauce Day
World Bartender Day
National Tortilla Chip Day
International I Hate Coriander Day
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ON THIS DATE
1868 – The House of Representatives files eleven articles of impeachment against President Andrew Johnson.
The charges came after Johnson fired his Secretary of War, Edward M. Stanton. Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Senate voted that any officials who needed to be confirmed by the Senate must also be dismissed by the Senate.
Twice Johnson tried to get rid of Stanton anyway without the Senate’s input. The first time, Johnson played along, until he had enough. After the second dismissal, the second time, Congress voted to impeach.
The trial ran from March 13 to May 26. The Senate failed to achieve the two-thirds majority to convict him.
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1917 – The British government informs the US that the Germans are planning an American invasion through Mexico, in a dispatch now known as the “Zimmerman Note.”
In a secret memo between German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman and the German ambassador to Mexico, Zimmerman outlined plans for an invasion of the US through its southern border, should it decide to enter World War I. The Mexicans would be asked to join Germany as their ally. Germany also promised to return Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona to Mexico.
When President Wilson authorized leaking the memo, the press thought it was a joke -- but Zimmerman himself confirmed its authenticity.
After its release, public opinion went from neutral to negative toward Germany.
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1981 - Prince Charles announces his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer.
He had proposed at Windsor Castle weeks earlier.
When a reporter asked the couple if they are in love, Charles awkwardly responded, “Whatever love means.”
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1982 – Wayne Gretzky knocks in his 77th goal, setting a new record.
The previous record of 76 goals had been held by Phil Esposito.
Gretzky was also the youngest NHL player to score 50 goals in a single season, among a host of other records.
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1982 – The Reagan Administration announces the Caribbean Basin Initiative.
The policy would aid Caribbean nations to protect them from communist influence.
The package included $350 million in economic aid and $60 million in military assistance.
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1988 – The Supreme Court affirms the media's right to satirize public figures.
The new precedent overturned Jerry Falwell's lawsuit against Hustler magazine, in which Falwell was initially awarded $200,000.
Hustler's depiction of Falwell was of course crude. The Supreme Court affirmed this, calling it "in poor taste" but nonetheless protected by the first amendment.
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1998 – Elton John is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
Elton Hercules John became Sir Elton for his services to British pop music and his work in raising money for AIDS charities.
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2020 - Harvey Weinstein is found guilty of rape and sexual assault, three years after allegations first surfaced.
The former Hollywood producer was sentenced to 23 years in jail.
Weinstein’s case largely ignited the #MeToo movement.
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BIRTHDAYS
Paxton Booth - actor, “Coop and Cami Ask the World” - 13
Louis Tomeo - actor, “Every Witch Way” - 21
Ramona Marquez - actress, “The King’s Speech” - 22
Brittany Raymond - actress, “The Next Step” - 28
Earl Sweatshirt - rapper - 29
O’Shea Jackson Jr - actor, “Straight Outta Compton” - 32
Trace Cyrus - pop singer - 34
Daniel Kaluuya - actor, “Get Out” & “Black Panther” - 34
Corey Graves - wrestler - 39
Shinsuke Nakamura - wrestler - 43
Floyd Mayweather Jr. - boxer - 46
Billy Zane - actor, “Titanic” - 57
Todd Field - actor & director, “Tar” - 59
Eddie Murray - baseball player - 67
Debra Jo Rupp - actress, “That 70s Show” - 72
Phil Knight - co-founded Nike - 85
Born On This Date
Steve Jobs - co-founded Apple - 1955 (d. 2011)
Wilhem Grimm - story teller, Grimm’s Fairy Tales - 1786 (d. 1859)
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